Forget headphones. Bose wants kids to love its speakers.
The audio company, which made recent headlines with the decision to sell off half its manufacturing facilities, introduced a new category known as Bosebuild. This new segment is geared toward children and “the kid in all of us,” and is debuting with a do-it-yourself Bluetooth speaker kit.
The 4.75-inch Speaker Cube comes with a power supply, control panel, magnet, coil, speaker panel, clips, side panels, decorative LED lights and a variety of silhouette covers. Although it can stream music wirelessly via Bluetooth, it must be plugged in to use. It also features an aux input.
Step-by-step instructions and a variety of interactive activities are provided via an iOS app, and the Cube is designed to be taken apart and rebuilt over and over. An Android version of the app isn’t available at this time, and the company said there are no immediate plans although it is assessing the idea.
Joe Titlow, head of sales and marketing for Bosebuild, said the initial idea for Bosebuild took formation a few years ago when a small group of employees started to work on new business ideas. “We loved the thought of doing something for kids. We wanted a product concept that would reflect the values of Bose, so we looked for a way to bring the technical inquisitiveness we have as engineers into an experience for curious young minds,” he told TWICE. “As tinkerers and builders at heart, we set out to distill the most fun and interesting part of building something we knew best — a speaker — into a product that a child could enjoy.”
When asked if future products are planned, Titlow said the company wants to see if the idea resonates with the broader market. “If it does, we would love to bring to market other products that follow a similar formula. There are amazing technical achievements inside of so many things that we use every day, and our mission is to help kids of all ages discover how their world works.”
The Speaker Cube is geared toward ages 8 and older; Bose estimates it takes about an hour to complete. It’s currently available on Bosebuild.com for $149.
Said Bob Maresca, Bose president/CEO, in a statement: “Dr. [Amar] Bose was fascinated with electric trains when he was very young. He learned how they worked by taking them apart and putting them back together, and he had that same insatiable curiosity throughout his entire life. That spirit is still at the heart of Bose. And it’s a great example of what we’d like Bosebuild to offer — fun and relatable ways for kids to make something they really want and can use for years to come, while learning about the incredible science and technology behind it.”
